Nearly home...

So here I am in Ios, Greece. It's my last couple of nights of my holiday/adventure. And what a time it has been.

 

My last few days with Mary & Tony were lovely. They are such great people & I really cannot wait to see them again. They did so much for me & treated me like family. And I love their home. When I arrived not too much had changed except that they had the addition of 4 hens. Funny little things too, they followed you around the yard whenever you were outdoors. But it was a short visit because I was in a bit of a rush to get back to Greece, the sun, and a particular man.

 

In Greece I have spent some time in Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Andros, Tinos & Ios. Every place has been a little different, but each place has had it's own amazing bits. Ios is by far the most touristy & the least Greek-ish. It's almost all Aussie's & English here. Andros was a lot smaller, not touristy, some people didn't even speak English. Which made it that much nicer to be with Spyros & Gerry. Two great Aussie blokes I met on Contiki. They have Greek heritage & speak the language. Gerry is a good pal, Spyros is a man with a big piece of my heart. And I had a beautiful time here in Greece with because of how amazing he is.

 

And now it's ending. Spyros has already gone home to deal with work things, and saying 'see you later' was a very difficult thing to do. Gerry is still kicking it here with Amanda and I (Amanda is another Contiki pal that met up with us half way thru my stay in Greece), and on the 10th we all part ways.

 

I need to get to work when I get home, but have loved this trip & everything I have learned & experienced on it. So glad I came. But the travel bug has bitten hard again. ;) So we will see what happens next!

 

look forward to seeing everyone as I will be back in Canada in just a few days...

 

Shelle

The end of Contiki...

So it's over...and it's bloody strange! But here's the last of the trip:

It rained & poured the whole time in Vienna & put it mellowed out for the evening so the tents were pretty dry to pack up in the morning. YAY! Would have been nice to see a little more of Austria & Vienna itself, but after the hot sun & dry days I just wasn't up for making everything I owned wet & stinky.

Wednesday the 5th we were packed up & back on the coach on our way to Prague. We stopped in this little place in Czech called Cesky Krumlov. It was SO ADORABLE! Like a little storybook town. Everyone was friendly & there was a river looping around it that they had built man-made rapids into, so people were canoeing, kayaking & river rafting around the town. It didn't look too exciting, but it did look like a fun way to spend a hot day! ;) Then back on the coach and into Prague.  It was still looking like rain so a bunch of us paid and extra 5 euro a night to stay in cabins. That was a nice change. I really didn't mind tenting at all -but when you are wet, your tent is wet, your clothes & towel are wet...it get a little...wet. :) So cabin it was. It was a pretty nice campsite with a beautiful lake & grounds across the road. Spent a lot of time just shooting the sh*t with people outside of the cabins on our 'deck' that night. The next day was PRAGUE! And it was pretty damn nice. It's funny the architecture is so different than Paris/Rome etc. But it's really cool too. We did a boat cruise & the guide was great. Wandered a lot, checked out all the local vendors & wished I had more money because there was some really unique jewellery. We all met up again at around 6pm in Wencles Square & went to a place called the Beer Factory. They have taps on your table & a running scoreboard tally of how much you have had to drink. I had 1 beer - but the guys on the tour of course were in intense competition :) The ride home was an interesting one too. The bus just stopped half way to the campsite with no warning & told us we had to wait for another one. And the whole time we were there the transportation didn't improve much. made it interesting & unforgettable though! The next day was another day in Prague. Took it easy in the morning & sewed some patches onto my bag, then headed in for some lunch & a nap in the park..it was ACE. Loved Prague, can't wait to tell Matthew & his family! That Friday evening we went to this 5 story nightclub that had different music on each level. It was ridiculously hot and ridiculously fun. We got there at about 10:30 & I didn't leave until 4:30am. Can you believe I made it that long?? And I wasn't tired! I just danced my butt off! So we went back to the campsite in a cab, had showers, packed up & got ready. Had brekky when everyone got up..and I didn't sleep until a lot later that next day on the coach.

Saturday the 8th we were back on the road. To Munich - went into town. Had a little wander. Checked out Haufbrauhaus...a famous & old beerhall. Went to the square, got some ice cream & fruit & wandered a bit more. Then met up with everyone for our night out at a Beerhall. It was great. We had pork-knuckle for dinner, a litre of beer, did Prost a million times, there was singing & dancing, we sang & danced. It was a pretty great night. And after that - bed :) hahah

Sunday we were up and on the road again into Switzerland. Stopped in a couple of places. Stopped in Leichtenstein before Switzerland, it was pretty nice. There was a big beach volleyball tourny on in the middle of town that was pretty random. Then we went into Lucerne and spent some time on the famous wooden bridge, went to a Swiss Army knife & Swiss watch place, checked out a cuckoo clock place...it is so gorgeous in Switzerland & SO CLEAN! There is so much pride of place & country it's crazy! Then we went to Jung Frau. Our campsite was beautiful. And the country does definitely remind me of home. More tidy, but mountains, rock face cliffs, waterfalls off the mountains...lovely. And then it POURED. Completely soaked the crap out of us both nights, but our day there was pretty clear at least. I went into town, so quaint. And then we went to this waterfall that was absolutely phenomenal! It was in the mountain & so so cool. Also - bought some chocolate ;) haha Went that evening to the pub at the campsite -it is called The Bombshelter. had another pretty great evening of dancing. Went to bed fairly early though.

The next morning we were up & off again, back into Germany to Heidelburg. Another lovely place. It was a pretty late day, wandered town for a bit & then went back to camp & had an awards night. A silly one, things like 'most annoying drunk', 'most helpful' etc. I went to bed pretty early that night too.

Left the next morning for the Netherlands. On the way we stopped in St. Goar & checked out a wicked cool beer stein place & a Birkenstock shop...that I bought some birks in. :) They were cheap! :) Got into Amsterdam, set up camp & headed into the city. First stop, coffee shop aka place you smoke & eat weed & hash. So I shared a joint with a girl on tour. Wasn't like BC bud though. I haven't smoked in 3 years...but it didn't hit me at all. So we all met up, wandered the red light district a bit & went to a live sex show. That was interesting. I had have a brownie there & another half afterwards. And the full body stone is a lot different than just smoking it! But it made me warm & heavy & as soon as we got back to camp I went to bed & slept like a rock. That was pretty excellent. LOL And now I've tried it. The next day was another day in Amsterdam. Went out to Edam and did a bike tour that was so awesome. Had a cheese making demo & clog making demo. And then saw a windmill and their dykes. It was so nice there - then back into Amsterdam. Grabbed lunch, went into a bunch of touristy shops, did the Anne Frank museum, then we all met up to head back to camp. Got changed & ready & back into town for dinner & a night out. It was a pretty great night. There were some tears as a few people left us early. But it was still good times.

And then yesterday - we came from Amsterdam, through Belgium, and back to London. Arrived at around 7:30pm, unpacked, I headed to my hostel. Got organized, headed back into the centre & had a beer with everyone & said goodbyes. It was a lonely night being alone for the first time in a month and a half! LOL It feels more weird than sad. I knew it was coming, and there are going to be people I will see again & keep in touch with...but it's a very strange feeling for sure. 46 days with 45 people 24/7 is a pretty intense thing. Some of them do feel like family.

So today, up, off to meet some family ;) hahaha and now pretty mellow. I can feel my Contiki Cough wanting to come back, so I'm going to take it easy & drink loads of water & get lots of sleep. :) Monday I am off to South Clifton again to meet up with the Lewis's.

LOVE YOU ALL!

Heading westward

So after I left the internet terminal in Tirana I was headed back to meet the coach for our final night in a hotel. And a young kid - about 9 or 10 accosted me and was grabbing at my water & my purse trying to get me to give them to him. I kept walking, but he was blocking my path yelling and grabbing for quite a ways. That was an experience and a half!!! Caught the coach & went back to the hotel. And had dinner, then some pool time. The rooms at the hotel were insanely spacious, but it was definitely an older hotel & a bit rundown. But I slept like a fecking baby!!

 

The next day we were back on the road  and headed for Croatia!!! So excited about that! We went through Montenagro & stopped at this crazy cheap supermarket. It was pretty excellent to get so much for so little. Montenagro was a beautiful little country, but we just drove thru it, that one place was our onlz stop. And then into Dubrovnik. This campsite was pretty excellent. Spacious, really clean & nice ammenities & free WIFI. Plus a beach not too far away. That first night we got in at 7ish and had some dinner and checked out the area, I spent a little time online using a fellow Contiki member's computer, but had no luck trying to upload photos. GRRR.

 

Wednesday the 29th we were up early and into Old Town to wander around & see what there was to see. It was hot as hades so I did a few touristy things, checked out the market, got some moolah, and some ice cream. Then there was a cruise - but I didn't go. I went and hung out on the rocks. In Old Town there is a wall surrounding it & loads of big rocks that you can lay on and sun yourself and swim in the gorgeous water. So I did that with a couple of girls from our group for a couple of hours. Then we got some lunch & headed back to camp. It was still hot, so we went ´down to the beach & did some more swimming & sunning there. Once it started getting chilly we packed up & headed back. Helped with dinner prep, took a shower, had some dinner, did a little sewing for a friend. There are a lot of people who cannot sew - I've repaired a few things for friends on this trip. lol

 

Thursday was another free day...and I spent it on the beach. Up & breakfast & then I did a little laundry & was on the beach by 10:30ish. It was ace. I applied & reapplied sunscreen - but by the time I back off the beach to eat a little something at 4:30 -- I was a little rosy on my back. I had switched up the swimsuit too, so I had a little more exposed skin, so I burnt my bum! yikes!! But it was still a most excellent day! That night after dinner we did a little massage train, but I ended up giving out more since I wasn't able to get one b/c of my burn.

 

Friday we left Dubrovnik. Back onto the bus. Le Sigh. Went through Bosnia/Herzegovina, another beautiful country! Back into Croatia, had lunch in Split, which was not enough time because it was really cool there. Had kind of a Miami feel too it...then back onto the coach & into Zadar. It was an interesting coach day. Late people & a fair amount of drama. When a person is late there is a punishment. It's called Booth of Truth. The late individual has to go to the front of the coach & get asked whatever 3 questions anyone can think up & they have to answer it. It's funny, but can be really embarrassing & sometimes a bit mean. It's definitely a juvenille thing. But it was a bit of a yuck one that day, so at camp we set up a little girly circle & just hung out until we went to bed pretty early. Oh - also, in town it was really tight & our coach driver scratched up a couple of cars...so that took a bit of time off of our Split adventure. It was unfortunate, he's a bloody amazing driver!

 

Saturday we got up and on the coach and crossed another border into Hungary! Went to Budapest. Got into camp pretty late & after dinner we hung out for a bit chatting, then went to bed around 12ish.

 

Sunday was a day in Budapest. It was such a nice city. SO HOT! But we wandered around a few shops, got a great lunch with some great service, wandered thru the city-amazing architecture. Went to the House of Terror & got an education...then some ice cream. Out to the water & wandered the Danube down to this Holocaust memorial. It was a spot that the Nazi's dumped Jewish bodies into the water & there is now a line of about 60 pairs of shoes marking the area. Very powerful stuff. Took some photos & took a moment. Then went for a little nap in a park in the shade. After that we met up with the group & went for a river cruise with a buffet dinner. It was a nice way to spend the dinner hours. And after that a bunch of us went out to Margaret Island to a salsa club & partied until 1:30am. It was a pretty excellent day!!!

 

Yesterday was back on the coach and we crossed over to Austria! After we unpacked our stuff it was really early so I had a cat nap in the tent for a couple of hours. It rained & I was loving the sound. Then we all got ready and headed into a theme/amusement park. I was not looking forward to it - but it was a great nite! Had some amazing schnitzel, danced our butts off like goons to the music coming from the rides - and rode one ride. Oh - ice cream too. LOL But it was just a ton of fun. When we got back to camp it started to pour, so I just went to bed. it rained all night & it's still raining today. Packing up all the went tents is going to be SO ROUGH! LOL But really ´- 30plus days in and this is the first time we have had any significant rain - that's pretty damn good!!!

 

So I think that about catches everyone up!!!

 

Next stop: Prague!

 

 

So much driving...

So we left Corfu. Lost our people & got new ones. The new ones seem to be pretty cool & are quite comfortable with the rest of us that had already gotten to know one another. As we were leaving Greece we stopped in Thermopoli, saw Mt. Olympus & slept as much as we could on the bus. We drove thru to Kavala, got there pretty late & set up camp. Dinner, a wander, and then I went to bed. There are a few people who are drinking & up late most every night, but I am trying to get rid of this darn cough. The rest of the cold is pretty much gone, but the cough is very persistent! So fairly early to bed & then early to rise.

Packed up camp & hit the road. Headed out to Cannakele. We crossed through the border into Turkey & it was fairly uneventful, but Canadians had to pay the most for our visas, and that sucked. We rode on a Feribot & had some Turkish Tea. Stopped & saw the city of Troy & got photos inside of a wooden horse. Pretty cool, had a great guide for the tour. Then onto Cannakele - and our first hotel during our camping tour. There are a few countries here in eastern europe where camping isn't the best idea, so all in all we get 5 days in hotels. At the hotel we went for a swim in the pool, a walk along the ocean, had dinner & then some conversation until bed in a BED!

The next morning we packed up again & went to Gallipoli. Very cool place that I knew nothing about. But it was a pretty historic place for the Aussies & Kiwis in our group. And a very beautiful place for such horrible fighting to have occured, but the monuments & cemetaries they have are beautiful & definitely do the fallen proud. Then we headed into Istanbul. Beautiful & amazing, I cannot wait to spend more time in that city!!! The first night I did laundry & then we all headed to this little bar type place where we lay in the street on pillows & drank our drinks & smoked Shisha. It was pretty amazing & fun. Didn't help my cough, but I had to do it anyway :) I still called it a pretty early night, bed in the hotel by 12:00ish.

Next morning was a full day in Istanbul. We started with a walking tour, saw the Blue Mosque and hippodrome- pretty cool. The Grand Bazaar - which was  disappointing & insane. Mostly shops, not very market-like. And then we went on a hunt for the turkish bath with the most bang for your buck. We found one, 4 of us girls & 1 guy that tagged along. WOW! This was so amazing! We paid the money & went to a room to get undressed & put on our towel/sheets. Then we were led into the Women's area & told to undress & sit on our towels while soaking ourselves with warm water in a marble sauna environment. So cool. So bizarre. Very relaxing. Very funny for a North American to be lounging around naked with a bunch of women. After about 20min they came to get us & they lay you down on your towel on a marble slab & rinse you, scrub your whole body & then soap you up. They give you a soap massage, flip you over & repeat. You get fully groped by a largish turkish woman in a bathing suit & it's hilarious, strange & so amazing at the same time. Then they sit you up & wash your hair. A final rinsing & back to the sauna area for more relax time. And then the 2nd bit was they dry you off with towels & bring you back out into the main area. And then into a massage room for a full body massage with essential oils. It leaves you feeling slightly violated & very rubbery. It was amazing & I would do it again in a second!!!! After the baths we headed back to the hotel. A bunch of people went out to a dinner thingy & I did not. I went to a place that sold turkish delight & baclava & I bought some from the guy - Mr. Delicious. :) And then another woman from our group & I went out to try & do some late night shopping. It was unsuccessful, but nice to see Istanbul at night. Another fairly early night for me.

The next morning we packed up & loaded up the bus & then we had a 2 hour delay, so we wandered the Spice Markets. It was very fortuitous because I found a dress & have been feeling sorely lacking in the summery clothes department & was very excited to find a sundress!!! Then back on the road And into Bulgaria. No issues with this border either. It's been excellent! Arrived in Sofia in a gorgeous hotel, had dinner & then some people went out clubbing & some of us just went into the city to see a bit of it & then to bed. Still have a cough. Trying to kick it in the butt before Croatia!!!

Yesterday we were back on the road bright & early. Another driving day! I haven't gotten any flag patches or postcards because we're seeing some of the country, but mostly just there to sleep. That part sucks, but it's very cool to see them! We left Bulgaria & moved into Macedonia. It is SO beautiful in Macedonia. Stopped in Skopje for lunch, and had huge portions & it was a pretty neat city. And then onto Ohrid & our campsite. The campsite was such a sh*t show. That is literally the only way to describe it. So insanely busy & so many people & so little organization, and so dirty. We were very happy it was a one night experience. But Lake Ohrid was pretty cool. This was again a pretty mellow night for me. Dinner & then relaxing with friends. There have been a few people that have gotten a stomache bug on top of the regular cold that has been going around & so I sat with a pukey friend until she felt well enough to head to bed. It's pretty unfortunate, but I think it's good timing during our little hotel stretch for everyone to get it out of their systems. LOL I'm trying to hit the bed early & stay germ free so that I don't get it.

Today we were back on the bus, out of Macedonia & into Albania. It's pretty gorgeous here too! And we are now in Tirana. It's the capital. it's an interesting city as well, very colourful - but again, dirty. And tonight is our last night in hotels.

I thought that I would have so many comments on my last blog.. :( Thank you Brenda for making me feel loved ! hahaha

Hope everyone is well - I am doing great & loving this trip. Though I dont' think I'll be going thru withdrawal like Luke was. ;)

Shelle

Contiki 46 Day Camper

Ok!! So I'm in an internet cafe & have few minutes!

We are on about day 20 of our trip & just about to lose 14 of our friends & pick up 14 more. That will be interesting & a little sad, as some of the ones that are leaving are people that I have gotten closest with. But this is the way it goes!!

Been getting up crazy early most days. I like to wake before everyone else to grab a shower & I tend to be such a light sleeper that anything wakes me up. I usually wake up at around 5 am, but usually sleep in until 6 or 6:30. Then get ready, we have brekky, which is usually muesli, coco puffs, corn flakes, fruit & yogurt. :) And then we are either on the road again to the next place or we are heading into town to have free time exploring or to take a tour.

So far:
Paris - spent 3 days. It was so big & so much to see. I definitely want to go back as I did not get to see everything I wanted to see, but only for another few days, maybe a week?? And then I would move onto the South of France because the Parissians are definitely more than a little snotty ;)
Lyon - Beautiful beautiful. We were only here for one night, but I would love to see more of this area
Barcelona - spent a couple days. I loved the feeling, but it was pretty dirty. I would love to spend more time in Spain & see more places. Especially if I knew a little Spanish!!! lol getting around France was a lot easier for me!

On our way to Nice we stopped in a little town for lunch & got to watch the Tour de France go through!!! It was very exciting!

Nice - I loved Nice!! It was gorgeous, the beach was phenomenal! Actually, it was our first pebble beach & it got quite windy. We saw a man got dragged out of the ocean & dealt with by the lifeguards & ambulance drivers. All I can say is - DO NOT DROWN IN NICE! Beautiful place, crappy life saving techniques!
Monaco - Went to Monte Carlo, some people gambled, I wandered around & had gelato. Very posh place! There were fireworks too.
Verona - mmm...spent an hour or two here. Saw Juliet's balcony & felt the romance. Half of the town has it's streets done in marble! INSANE!
Venice - LOVED Venice! And the canals were NOT as dirty as I had been led to believe. It was so much fun to spend a day wandering thru the tiny streets & canals. Our gondola ride was a bit disapointing. I was alone at the front of it & our guy was on his mobile the whole time. No singing! But it may be because it was a Contiki special & I'm finding some of those are just cheap deals & not the best experiences you can get ;)
Pisa - the tower seemed smaller! But it was pretty cool & we all took some cheesy photos!
Florence - Really loved Florence too.  In general I just really loved Italy! The pizza was phenomenal, although I only really enjoyed my pasta once. I kept ordering seafood pastas & the seafood was always overcooked. :(
Rome - So much to see. Need to go back just to see all the touristy things. It was also VERY hot! But very cool. Lots of amazing buildings
Vatican City - smallest country in the world! Saw the Sistine Chapel & St. Peters Bascillica. Incredible stuff.
Capri - Such a beautiful island. We went out to the Blue Grotto, which is a very cool natural light phenom. And then had lunch in the shade
Sorrento - Such a lovely and romantic seaside city in Italy!!! Had a pretty great evening there!
Pompeii - we were rushing thru our tour, but it was still awesome to be there!
Corfu - just finished our 3 days in Corfu, one of many Greek islands. It is beautiful & the people are lovely. Spent quite a bit of time in the water & have been trying to work on my tan.

Everyone on the tour has a cold right now. I think it's late nights, early mornings, too much drinking for some, AC on the coach all day & new water & germs everyday! :) But I'm starting to get over mine now so we're golden ;) We are at an internet cafe on a routine stop on our way to Athens. Looking forward to Athens! So much history there! Greece is amazing, I knew I would love it here!

There are lots of great people on the trip. Definitely people that I will be keeping in touch with, to call on when I visit their countries & vice versa. Loads & loads of Kiwis & Aussies on this trip. Only a few Canadians & Americans. And one South African, and one lady from India.

It is going well. People are going to add me to FB so that they can tag photos.

Love you all!!

Contiki

Okay. So Contiki is an insane pace. Which I did already expect from Lukes experience ' but seriously ' there is no time for this!!!

 

So

 

I have been to Paris, and had a pretty good time, but not enough time. Lyon - and it was beautiful. Then to Barcelona and then the French Riviera, there we hit up Nice and Monaco.

 

Everything is gorgeous and I have seen so many amazing things!!

 

The people are interesting and mostly very cool. Altho . again as warned, there are people i cannot stand!

 

haha

 

I am currently in Venice and we are only on day 9. SOOOO much more to see,. I do plan to take more time for a comprehensive description.

 

For now . I am having fun. Meeting people. and it is good!

 

I have to run!

 

SOOOOOON!

IRELAND!

Hello friends!!

So I got to Ireland on Friday evening. Got to my hostel & was with a group of 9 American lacrosse students over here for schooling. Yikes! They were party party party, but they were actually pretty nice girls & invited me out to O'Shea's where we watched a live band, had a pint of Guiness & some pretty good conversation. At around 2 am a couple of them came back to the room HAMMERED & giggly tho. Oh the hostel fun. ;)
Keith was due to get in early Saturday morning. That did not happen, he wasn't able to make his flight & so didn't get in until Sunday morning. So Saturday - Michelle wandered around Dublin on her own AGAIN! I am getting a little tired of wandering around cities alone! :) But it was fine, uneventful. I went back to my room, took some goofy pics, read a little, wrote in my journal, and then went out again. When I came back around 6:30 - I met some more Americans ( I had moved rooms b/c I had only planned to be there for the one night), so these nice Americans - who had just spent some time in Greece!, invited me out to go on a hunt for the pub in PS I Love You. Naturally - people & a movie that I loved, I was in! So we went for a walk. Found the pub, but it was blasting out hard rock, not nice Irish folk music. So we went elsewhere for dinner. And then ended up back at O'Shea's. The same band was there & the Irish folk songs were a'blarin! :)
Early Sunday Keith showed up. We hit the road right away! Belfast, we went thru it. Stopped at The Crown Saloon for lunch. Survived all the bombs at The Europa (most bombed hotel in Ireland), just across the street, and The Crown was very ornate!! Took some pics. Then we went thru the Hill of Tara - a pagan burial site that was pretty neat. And then Carrickfergus. It is pretty much the beginning of the  Causeway Coast route, saw the castle from the outside & did a walk along the pier. Then we went on to Larne. Stayed in a B&B called Inverbann. It was nice, had an Irish brekky in the morning.
Monday we did the Causeway Coast drive. We started in Carrick-a-rede, a suspension bridge between the big island & a little tiny one. It was a short bridge compared to Capilano, but the scenery was excellent! After that we stopped at the side of the road to take pics of a sandy beach, and then moved on to Bushmills. To the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery - the oldest whiskey distillery still in operation in..Europe!? Definitley Ireland! Did the tour, took some pics & drank some whiskey :) After that tour we headed to the Giants Causeway. Several natural geological formations on the coast of Northern Ireland. BEAUTIFUL! Definitely one of the most beautiful things we saw...then a short trip to Dunseverick Castle ( one wall in ruin-a waste of time) and then Dunluce - a pretty cool seaside castle ruin. Lots of it still remains. Lastly we went to Limavady. Got a little turned around & lost track of time so no FOOD was open. We stopped in at a Tesco's & had a sandwich. And then met an amazing woman who drove us from place to place until we found an open B&B! Amazing. The B&B was Foyle View - pretty nice place.
Tuesday - We went to Enniskillen (last stop in Northern Ireland) and we went to the Marble Arch Caves b/c I had been told that the caving in Ireland in pretty awesome. It was my first caving experience & I did enjoy it!! :) After that we went thru Tuam & then on the way to the Cliffs of Moher we stopped outside of Burren at the Poulnabrone Dolmen Portal Tomb, a tomb from the Stone or Bronze Age. VERY OLD! VERY COOL! Pics will be posted eventually !! After that we headed for the Cliffs of Moher. Did the cliffs at sunset, wandered into the ' do not go here' area, got some great pics. Had fun! Then stopped at the Moher View B&B. :)
Wednesday - Thru Limerick, checked out the King John castle from the outside & then  a tourist info place. Off to Lough Gur - the biggest stone circle in Ireland. It was INCREDIBLE! I could have spent all day there just breathing. Lots of cool pics, there was an altar where people put money & jewel things. Very moving for me. I loved it. After that we had lunch in Killarny at a pub. Then did the drive around the Ring of Kerry. I think I would miss that. Some coastal views are great, but mostly you're just driving & a fair amount of the scenery is very BC. So meh. We both wouldn't do it again. Then we went out to Blarney. Checked out the town, got a B&B, Tourist Joy, GREAT, and then back into town for a pint or two in the pub.
Thursday(yesterday) morning - went to Blarney Castle, checked it all out, kissed the stone, now I'm so chatty ;) hahahaha Then we went to the Blarney Woolen Mills where I was disapointed with the woollen options & PRICES! Next stop Waterford, home of the Waterford Crystal. We saw the home of - but they stopped manufacturing in January, so no tour. Then we went out Kells, a couple of monastic site from way back  Kell's Priory, Kilree Tower. Very cool, we could wander them at will. Then to Wicklow. beautiful mountains, tons of coniferous trees - definitely felt like BC - saw a bunch of old religious buildings. St. Kevin's Church, Tower of Glendalough, etc etc. It was really cool. Then off to find a B&B, Silver Sands in Wicklow. It was great.
Today we came into Dublin. We wandered around Trinity College, had an excellent tour guide & saw the Book of Kells & companions, very amazing. The Long Room tour thru their library...OMIGOD. I just wanted to grab one of these 1,000 year old books & lie on the floor smelling it's pages. I learned a lot & was wowed by the beauty & quantity of books in that library. *le sigh* After that we headed to the Guiness Brewery. For a totally different experience!! Very modern, lots of technologically advanced stuff thru the tour, very cool, had quite a bit of Guiness. 3.5 pints. mmm. Loving it! It was great! Now I stopped in here to say hello, before we head off to another pub, and tomorrow I'm back in London for a couple days!!
LOVE YOU!

AAAAHHHHH!!!!

Well here we go!!!

 

I'm heading out this evening on a Ryan Air flight to Dublin. I'm bussing it to my hostel & meeting Keith in the morning when he gets off his plane in Dublin. Im very excited to be seeing another country & to be able to tour around with a friend who is seeing it all for the first time too!

 

I booked my Contiki Tour today! So on June 30th I leave from London on a 46 day camping tour of Europe. We will see parts of: France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, the Vatican City, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenagro, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerlan, Netherlands & Belgium. **whew** and I'll be with a tour group of people & will have lots of people to talk to & take pics with ;) So I will be safe. My credit card feels a little warm now tho ;) hahaha

 

So today I'm cleaning up my room here at the Lewis's. Saying my goodbye's - altho I will be back after the Contiki Tour. I am weighing my bag again to check & make sure that I am within the requirements :) And then I'm off. So my internet usage will not be quite so prolific - but I will still try to get on once a week or so to update everyone on where I have been & what I have seen.  It will be strange, I've gotten quite used to the little routine we have going here :) Mary & Tony feel like family! I just keep adopting people wherever I go LOL

 

Bye for now!

 

Love Shelle

An English summer...

Hiya!

Still in England. Still having a good time. Lovely hosts...amazing people.

 

Been a slow week touristy-wise. But lots of visitors, people over for dinner, learning about England & everywhere else anyone has been to. I've met lots of people that have travelled around quite a bit & had many a conversation about places to go & it certainly fuels my gusto for wanting to get out & about. Altho some of these people went travelling 15-20 years ago!! Back when they were able to just hitch hike & meet random people without so much worry about the crazies ;)

 

It was an  up & down week weather-wise. Sunny mornings, torrential downpours in the afternoon, flooding in some towns, and then nice days later. Not super hot - but alright. It was supposed to be a rainy yuck weekend - but today was lovely! The weather guys here NEVER get it right - they make our weather people look like genius's!

 

Today I went out for a ride for the first time since my fall. It was good. I fell off of Grace about 3 weeks ago now? Yowza! The weekend after I fell, Tony fell off of Spitfire, but he was fine. We all joked that they are keeping a tally inside their stables of how many people they have eached knocked off - since a week or two before I came to England a friend of Mary's had fallen off of Grace (only in that instance Grace was just standing there & the friend lost her stirrup & balance). Today - I was ok! :) It was fairly seamless for me except that Grace is a piggy & can't help but try to eat EVERYTHING she walks by - worse than  Finn! But Mary fell off Spitfire today because he nearly stepped on a rabbit & when it ran it spooked him. She's OK too, apparently I'm the only one not smart enough to tuck & roll ;) So now they are even in dumps - maybe it will be smooth sailing from here on out! hahaha

 

I'm heading to Ireland on Friday! Exciting!! Can't wait to meet up with Keith & head out to see what there is to see on the island! It will be so awesome to tour around with another tourist :) After that??? To London for a few days & then we will see. Nothing booked yet! But will keep you updated!!

My life this past week or so...

What has been going on lately??

 

An old friend of mine, Luke was in Europe for the last 40 days or so. He was on a Contiki tour & ended up in London. We got in touch, but weren't able to meet up.  That was a little disapointing, would have been cool to do some sightseeing in London with a friend - especially one who is pretty knowledgable in politics & history! He's home now - so I guess we will catch up when I get home.

 

I booked my Ireland tickets! I head over to Dublin Friday June 19th & come back to England on the 27th. Keith is meeting me there on the 20th, I'm excited to be able to tour around Ireland with a friend!!!

 

I'm planning to do a Contiki June 30th - but haven't booked it just yet. Will keep you all updated!!

 

I started working on my knitting a bit. Trying to do socks on a set of 4 needles. Very fine yarn, but I think the needles are too long! LOL It is definitely a bit complicated to work with 4 needles, especially with it's all flimsy! Oh well - I will keep at it & one day I will be able to do it blindfolded

 

My mom, & my dad have both had birthdays & celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in the last couple weeks! What a busy month I missed out on - bad daughter!!! I'll make it up to them when I get home - promise!

 

On Saturday I spent the day wandering around Nottingham. That's right - Robin Hood, Maid Marian, all of that stuff! It's alive & real there! I went to the castle, lots of plaques & info about things to do with Robin Hood etc. There were dancers too. The castle wasn't too big - but the grounds were GORGEOUS! And within the castle it was a museum! Art, textiles, the history of Nottingham, everytime I turned a corner there was more to look at it was crazy!!! And it was a gorgeous day too. Spent lots of time just soaking up the sun & enjoying the vitamin D!!!  I still have to check out Sherwood forest, as the two aren't really withing walking distance .

 

Went to a BBQ on Sunday. A friend of Tony's & Martyn's. Great place, great food, lovely people. 4 big newfoundlander doggies that were great! And a giant land tortoise names Tiger. Ace!!!! Got pretty sunburned that day though. Yikes! I didn't think I would need sunscreen in England!! I did get some now! And some aloe. So I'm taking care! I wasn't WANTING to get sunburned. But I'm still happy for all of the sun. It was 4 days straight - but now it's getting a bit less summerlike. But It was phenomenal while it lasted. The green looked even more green in the sunlight!

 

Monday night a friend of Tony's came over after work. Had a BBQ, some wine & listened to some AC/DC in the setting sun. It was a pretty super night too!!

 

I think that pretty much updates anyone who cares on what has been going on!

 

Love you all!!